The Biggest, Baddest Lamb Spit in Manhattan

Ok, I’m not absolutely certain about that claim, but the lamb spit/creation/work of glorious art that spins at Yatagan Kebab House in the West Village is certainly a sight to behold.  Especially when it’s being cut by a guy with a full-on sword!  This McDougal Street shop is one of my favorites.  From the random wall decorations (brick, a newspaper clipping, and a pair of antlers) to the copper top tables, this place is a legit “what the what?” of New York eateries. (It’s ok to steal lines from 30 Rock, right?) 

The standard falafel sandwich is plenty big and at $2.50, pretty much the best deal in town.   Smother some cucumber sauce, some other stuff, lettuce, tomato, onion and you’re good to go.  For an extra buck you can put a heaping glob of hummus in the pita pocket sandwich. Beware the hot sauce though. It’s a killer.

A Manhattan Morning in Spring

From the banks of the East River…

to the peaks of the Midtown skyline…

the sun brings life to Manhattan.  This morning, dogs and their walkers stretched their legs to work off the winter chill.

And flowers, stretched their petals to soak up the sun’s invigorating rays. No doubt, they will be more radiant tomorrow.

It was another beautiful Manhattan morning.

(The first shot was taken Monday morning.)

The West Village’s Best Kept Morning Secret

I’m sitting here in the Path Cafe in NYC’s West Village. If you exit the Christopher Street Path train station and turn right you can’t miss it. It’s so close my seat rumbles every time a train passes underneath. The place has free internet, decent coffee, average-price but tasty soups and paninis.  I just finished a delicious breakfast sandwich with fluffed egg whites, sauteed spinach and melted low-fat Swiss cheese on a 7-grain roll.  The best part — I’m the only one here.

I do a lot of writing. And, when you live in a Smart Car-sized apartment, you need to find good places to clear your head and write.  I’ve tried Starbucks, and I continue to try Starbucks all over the city. But, oh my God are those places busy and noisy and becoming scenes more and more each day.  So far, the Starbucks at 18th and Park is the only one where I’ve churned out more than a paragraph without spazzing.  There’s a Starbucks just three blocks from where I sit now and I bet it’s packed. I’ve tried to write there often before work only to get so frustrated that I leave and end up at work early. Can you think of anything worse?

Why aren’t there more people here? Maybe it’s because the restroom is for customers only.  Bruce, the man behind the counter, is a nice guy.  For the few people that have come in, he knows what they want before they finish, even remembering that one woman eats her bagel with tomato, cream cheese and “hot sauce.”  And the music is good too.  It’s chill.  Bob Marly’s “Stir it Up” is playing as the sun peaks over the roof of a building on Hudson and Christopher. Life is good at the Path Cafe. I just hope it’s good for the owners too.  I’d like this place to stick around for a while.

The Path Cafe – 131 Christopher St. NY, NY